Hello again everyone! So, sorry this update's taken a while. I just got a promotion at work and learning all the new stuff has totally worn me out. I usually try to do my writing at night after work but lately I've been doing more sleeping than writing. But, I always try to please. So without further ado, here's Chapter 3.
Several miles from Jazira's home, the wind began to blow and storm clouds started to roll in as a massive Peterbilt truck barreled down the winding mountain road.
Optimus had grown tired of the day's travels. He had been in his alt form since sunrise the morning before. He had not stopped to rest at all. The mountains had proven to be a challenge for him in his tired state. It was clear that humans hadn't traveled the road he was on in years. Potholes dotted the pavement, speed limit signs were dilapidated and rusted, and weeds grew up between cracks in the tar.
No matter how hard he tried, Optimus couldn't avoid driving through a pothole every few feet. It was doing a number on his tires and he wanted nothing more than a nice long recharge.
But he couldn't stop; he had a job to do.
For some time now, his dear human friend and comrade, Major Lennox, had been trying to discuss the possibility of a young human femme to join NEST. Not as a soldier under Will's command, but a soldier for the Autobots.
The idea had perplexed him. Will was the leader of the humans and Optimus was the leader of the Autobots. Together they formed NEST. But this girl seemed intent on fighting under Optimus. What was it that made this girl so special that she would be more of an Autobot than a human? Lennox had chosen to keep that bit of information to himself. He had said that she had a gift but it was something that one would have to see for themselves.
And so, Optimus had chosen to indeed, see for himself. Regardless of whether she was fit to fight for NEST or not, he had to at least give her a chance. He would have to test her strength and see this gift of hers to determine if NEST was something that she really wanted to do. After all, hunting and fighting Decepticons was no easy task.
The moon glittered one last time on his magnificent blue and red flame paint job before disappearing behind the ever threatening storm clouds.
Optimus never really cared much for the rain. Aside from causing rust problems and joint stiffness, he found that it slowed down everyone's ability to work. But tonight, he was glad to see that rain was fast approaching. His entire body was covered in dust.
He grumbled as he turned a corner and saw another steep hill before him. He shifted gears and plowed on.
Suddenly, as he began to approach the top of the climb, he thought he heard the sound of jet engines. But that couldn't be. Will had said that planes don't fly over this area. But the sound grew louder and louder until, out of nowhere, Starscream streaked past him. A giant boom resounded in the air as Starscream spotted Optimus and turned in a burst of speed, breaking the sound barrier.
The rain began to fall as Optimus transformed and braced his pedes into the ground, taking a fighting stance. To his surprise, Starscream didn't attempt to strike. He merely circled overhead.
Optimus knew that Starscream was not the type to make his presence known before attacking. All Decepticons were like that. They preferred to attack their enemy from behind, leaving little chance for fighting back. Starscream couldn't be the only Decepticon there, not if he was merely scouting.
Optimus kept his optics on Starscream but kept his audio receptors keen to any movement around him.
He heard the next attacker before he could strike. Barricade, with cannons prepared to fire, burst from the trees and charged Optimus. Demolisher and Shockwave followed close behind. The three Decepticons prepared to bombard Optimus with brutal attacks.
Optimus raised his servos and both his energon swords slid forth with powerful sound of metal scraping metal. He was ready for them now.
With a thunderous crash Barricade tackled Optimus. Dirt and mud flew everywhere as the two behemoths crashed into the ground. The Autobot leader was quick to retaliate and pounded his helm into Barricade's face, completely smashing one of the Decepticon's optics and stunning him. With a feral growl, Optimus violently shoved the bot off him and sent him crashing into Demolisher, knocking him to the ground. Optimus barely had time to get to his feet before Shockwave sent two missiles hurtling toward him. Optimus managed to dodge one but the other struck him just below his chest plates where his armor was weak.
Optimus doubled over in pain but quickly shook it off. He charged toward Shockwave, energon swords glowing menacingly in the darkness. There was not much Shockwave could do to stop the assault. He was much better suited for long range attacks.
Optimus lowered his shoulder and drove it into Shockwave's chest plates sending him flying. With one swift movement Optimus turned, aimed, and threw one of his energon swords at Shockwave. The perfectly aimed blade drove itself into Shockwave's spark chamber, offlining him.
One Decepticon down, three to go.
Optimus turned back to Barricade and Demolisher ready to fight. Demolisher was waiting for him with a large tree he had uprooted. He swung it over his head in an attempt to crush Optimus. His reflexes too slow to stop it, Optimus took the blow head on. Dirt and tree bark rained down on him, getting stuck between his armor plates.
Optimus stumbled backward. He was running low on energy. The traveling had worn him down entirely too much to fight three Decepticons at his full potential.
Demolisher and Barricade must have sensed the Prime's exhaustion for they both unleashed a cannon blast toward Optimus. It was a double hit that had taken a strong toll. Optimus was blasted backward and slammed into the ground. He slid in the fresh mud for several feet, caching his armor with it, before colliding with a boulder.
Warnings flashed before Optimus's optics. He had sustained heavy damage. The two cannon blasts had hit him squarely on his chest plates, leaving them cracked and scorched. The missile that had hit him in the stomach had bent and burned many of his internal parts. And the hard collision with the boulder had cracked his helm, leaving him disoriented. Pain coursed through his circuits. He struggled to get up. The Decepticons snickered as the Autobot leader finally made it to his pedes.
"Why don't you just stay down Prime?" Demolisher mocked. Optimus raised his head and squared his shoulders, ignoring the throbbing pain that still coursed through his body. He had to keep fighting. He raised the servo that still had an energon blade and it slid forth once again. His optics flared with determination.
"Because I fight for the safety of this planet," He replied with a snarl. Demolisher and Barricade readied their weapons. Then, with savage yells, the massive transformers charged each other once again.
The rain pounded on the roof as Jazira paced beside her car. She had ended her call with Will about a quarter of an hour ago. Optimus would be there any minute and she had no clue so to what to do with herself.
Before she moved out to the middle of nowhere, when she lived with the rest of civilization, she would relentlessly clean everything when she knew she had company coming over. But now, she had so much time on her hands that she kept everything clean anyway.
She growled in frustration.
Why hadn't Will told her that Optimus was going to be coming to see her sooner? That was what angered her the most. It wasn't that Optimus was testing her, it wasn't that she wasn't immediately accepted into NEST, it was the fact that she had been caught off guard.
She decided to try and release some of her frustration with meditation. It had always helped her before. She sat just inside the doorway to the outside, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. The sound of the rain quickly calmed her.
When she opened her eyes again she was no longer frustrated. She was however, a tad worried. Optimus should have arrived by now. She hoped that everything was alright. The road to get to her place was a miserable one, but it wasn't anything Optimus wouldn't be able to get through. Even in rain.
She stood up and walked to the threshold of the door. The wind blew rain into her face in a soft mist.
"Where are you Optimus?"
Well there it is. Hope you guys liked it. Writing a fighting scene proved to be difficult for me but I think the result turned out to be a good one. And the fights aren't over. Mwahaha! =D Stay tuned for Chapter 4.